Conventionally, glass bottles have been used whenever it has been desired to fill a relatively large container with a liquid at a relatively high pressure. This is because the glass material is capable of withstanding the pressure applied thereto by the liquid. However, the weight of the liquid within the bottle, together with the inherent weight and fragility of the glass makes transportation and handling of such glass bottles extremely difficult and thus relatively costly.
Lightweight bottles formed from a saturated polyester resin material have been proposed for holding liquids such as carbonated beverages under relatively high pressures. However, these saturated polyester resin bottles must be formed with sloping or bulging contours in order to withstand satisfactorily the fluid pressure. This results in a bottle molded to have a downwardly bulging bottom incapable of supporting the bottle in an upright position ready for use. Accordingly, when such saturated polyester resin bottles are used, it is necessary to provide an independent supporting base or stand for supporting the filled bottle in an upright position. However, in the prior art, no bottle stand has been found satisfactory with regard to production cost, or with regard to capability for firmly supporting a filled and pressurized bottle in an upright position.